Chapter 2 #3
Baile spoke to Mazey over Siusan’s head.
“Ah would like to move yer quarters to the room next to Siusan so ye can be available to her whenever she needs ye. That way if ah am meeting with another clan or ah’m working on things she can ask ye first for whatever she needs. Would that be all right with ye?”
Why would he ask her permission? He was well within his rights to do with her as he pleased—moving her quarters or throwing her out of the keep. “Aye.” She responded in a small voice.
She thought he would let her be now, but he seemed to want to continue the conversation. “If the quarters aren’t to yer liking just let me know and ah’ll have them adjusted however ye wish.”
“Ah’m sure they are fine, my laird.” She tried to put a tone of formality in her voice, to discourage him from feeling the need to speak to her anymore, but it didn’t help.
“Ye need not be so formal, Mazey. Ah’ll have ye know, those who watch my little Siusan are directly under my responsibility and care. Ah consider ye to be my family now, and ah’ll not have ye uncomfortable or wanting for anything. Now ye let me know if something isn’t right. Ah’ll take care.”
Mazey took a bite of the root vegetable on her plate. No one treated her so kindly in her life. “Thank ye for yer kindness. Ah don’t feel as though ah deserve it, but ah am grateful.”
Baile said nothing else for the rest of the meal until they got up to leave. “Ah’ll be in when it is time for her to go to bed. Ah like to kiss her goodnight.”
A warm feeling passed through Mazey’s heart. Baile was a good father. How sweet it would have been to have a father who liked to kiss her goodnight when she was a bairn. She took Siusan’s hand and led her to her room.
Mazey finished brushing Siusan’s hair and put the brush down. “Time for bed sweet girl.”
Siusan made a fuss. “Ah don’t want to go to bed yet.”
Mazey smiled, knowing she was the same way when she was younger.
“All right, if ah tell ye a story, will ye go to sleep?” Siusan nodded sleepily.
Her eyes already halfway closed. She crawled over to the bed and climbed under a blanket.
Mazey sat next to her and stroked her hair while she spoke.
“When ah was a young lass, my maither would tell me stories before ah fell asleep. Her voice was sweet and melodic. Ah’ll tell ye one of my favorite stories she told me a few times when ah was small. ”
The story transported Mazey back in time to when her mother sat on the corner of her bed and stroked her hair.
“Maither, tell me the story about the magic horse again.”
Her mother’s laugh was a thousand tinkling bells. “Aye, ah’ll tell ye again.”
Young Mazey closed her eyes and focused on her mother’s fingers running through her hair over and over. It soothed her and quieted the thoughts spinning around in her head.
“Ye always ask for that one, but ah’ll tell ye again.” She paused for so long Mazey opened one eye, halfway, to peak out at her. She was smiling at her daughter with a sweet look on her face that instantly warmed Mazey. She closed her eyes again.
“Ah dunno what happened to Fria, but something made her run away from home one day. In the darkest night of the summer she made her way out of the keep, hoping to sneak past the guards and disappear into the night. Her heart beat out a wild rhythm as she ran through the gate and out into the open field just beyond the village. It wasn’t cold, but she hadn’t thought far enough ahead to figure out where she would go.
She knew she couldn’t return and, being the chief’s daughter, they would look for her soon.
She ran through the night and into the morning until exhaustion overtook her.
” Her mother’s voice got quiet and took on a mysterious tone.
“Spent and exhausted she collapsed in a cave just outside a small forest. She curled up on the ground. Fear clouded her thoughts as she realized she had no food or water. She hadn’t even thought to find a stream.
On the brink of sleep, she thought perhaps she would sing out the song her maither taught her as a bairn.
” This was Mazey’s favorite part. Her mother sang the song of the magic horse.
Upon the darkest night of summer,
Ah am sleeping under a starless night.
Wild one called up of cloudless thunder,
Ferry me safely to the joy of the light.
“Just then a horse, beautiful as the darkest night, appeared outside the mouth of the cave. He knelt down on the ground and waited. Hesitantly, Fria threw herself over the back of the horse and he took off into the night, running on and on without tire. He alone knew the way to the faerie city of Lyr Fae’noch.
He took the sweet maiden there, and she lived with the Faerie folk for the rest of her days. ”
Mazey snuggled deeper into the covers while her mother kissed her goodnight. She was happy.
Looking back now, Mazey knew that moment was the happiest she would ever be.
She hoped to give her own child precious memories like the ones her mother left her.
Mazey wasn’t talented at music, but she could carry a tune.
She sang quietly to the now sleepy girl.
Siusan’s eyes half closed and pursed her lips into a pout.
“Upon the darkest night of summer,
Ah am sleeping under a starless night.
Wild one called up of cloudless thunder,
Ferry me safely to the joy of the light.”
She sang the verse a few more times while Siusan’s head drooped and her mouth fell open. Then finished the story quietly as she snored.
A small rustle behind her almost made Mazey jump. She turned around slowly, hoping not to wake the now sleeping bairn. Baile stood behind her. His eyes were misty and his expression was difficult to read.
“Sorry, ah didn’t know ye were here,” Mazey whispered. She stood to go, but Baile put his hand out to stop her.
“Ah’ve seen no one besides Malmuira and ah care for Siusan the way ye have today. Ah’m grateful.”
His eyes drew her in. They were a beautiful blue that seemed to see into her heart.
He put his hand on her arm in a gesture of thanks and Mazey felt a tingling sensation pass from his hand through her arm, like lightning.
She drew in a quick breath and noticed he too had drawn in a breath.
He dropped his hand off her shoulder and stepped back from her.
“She’s a sweet girl,” Mazey whispered. “She has a good heart.”
Baile moved one step closer to Mazey, and she was keenly aware how large he was. He towered a head taller than her and his broad shoulders were strong and muscled. “Ye have a good heart, lass. Ah can see that in ye.”
Mazey felt the need to put distance between the two of them and walked towards the door. “Ah’m grateful for yer kindness.” She ducked out the door before he had time to reply.